Avatar
Avatar is a 2009 fantasy movie written by James Cameron and starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana and Sigourney Weaver. The film is set in the year 2154 on a planet called Pandora, that has a slight resemblance to the Dagobah systen from Star wars. Pandora is home to many creatures including the Na'vi, or tall naked Smurfs. The film was released in traditional 2-D, as well as in 3-D, using the RealD 3D, Dolby 3D, and IMAX 3D formats. Avatar is officially budgeted at $237 million; other estimates put the cost at $280–310 million to produce and $150 million for marketing. The film is falsely being touted as a breakthrough in terms of filmmaking technology, for its development of 3D viewing and stereoscopic filmmaking with cameras that were specially designed for the film's production. Basically it cost a shit load of money for a film that turned out average at best. Avatar premiered in London, UK on December 10, 2009, and was released on December 18, 2009 in the U.S. and Canada to critical acclaim and commercial success. It grossed $27 million on its opening day domestically (in the United States and Canada) and $77 million domestically on its opening weekend. It opened two days earlier internationally and grossed $232 million worldwide in its first five days of international release. Within three weeks of its release, it had grossed over $1 billion worldwide, becoming the second highest-grossing film of all time, exceeded only by Cameron's previous film Titanic. Cameron soon confirmed the possibility of two sequels. Plot If you want to know what this film is about go and watch Disney's Pocahontas (1995) and change it a little bit so that it is set in the future. Cast and Characters Humans This movie portrays Humans as a controlling race of monsters who will kill for natural materials (the most realistic part of the movie). Among these humans are: Sam Worthington as Corporal Jake Sully, the film's protagonist, is a disabled former Marine who becomes part of the Avatar Program. His military background helps the Na'vi warriors relate to him. Cameron cast the Australian actor after a worldwide search for promising young actors, preferring relative unknowns to keep the budget down. Worthington, who was living in his car at the time, auditioned twice early in development, and he has signed on for possible sequels. Cameron felt that because Worthington had not done a major film, he was "game for anything", giving the character "a quality that is really real. He has that quality of being a guy you'd want to have a beer with, and he ultimately becomes a leader who transforms the world". Sigourney Weaver as Dr. Grace Augustine, an exobiologist and head of the Avatar Program. She mentors Jake Sully, and was an advocate of peaceful relations with the Na'vi, setting up a school to teach them English. Weaver dyed her hair red for the part. The character was named "Shipley" at one point, a reference to the character she played in Aliens which was directed by Cameron. Weaver said that Augustine reminded her of Cameron, being "very driven and very idealistic". Michelle Rodriguez as Trudy Chacón, a Marine combat pilot assigned to support the Avatar Program. Cameron had wanted to work with Rodriguez since seeing her in Girlfight. You will know her as that ugly talentless dyke from The Fast and the Furious. Giovanni Ribisi as Parker Selfridge, the corporate administrator for the RDA mining operation and one of the film's primary antagonists. Joel David Moore as Norm Spellman, an anthropologist who studies plant and nature life as part of the Avatar Program. He arrives on Pandora at the same time as Jake Sully and operates an avatar. Although he is expected to lead the diplomatic contact with the Na'vi, it turns out that Jake has the personality more calculated to win the natives' respect. Stephen Lang as Colonel Miles Quaritch, the head of the mining operation's security detail. Fiercely loyal to his cause, he has a profound disregard for Pandora's inhabitants, and serves as the film's primary antagonist. Lang had unsuccessfully auditioned for a role in Cameron's Aliens (1986), but the director remembered Lang and sought him for Avatar. Michael Biehn, who was in Aliens, read the script and watched some of the 3D footage with Cameron, but was ultimately not cast in the role. Dileep Rao as Dr. Max Patel, a scientist who works in the Avatar Program. Na'vi The Na'vi are a species of giant blue hippie scum. They are at one with nature, probably meaning they shag trees and eat their own shit. The Na'vi have little glowing worms on the end of their hair, these are used to connect with the animals which they use as vehicles. They can also connect to the plants. The Na'vi worship a mystical life force in the form of a giant tree (called Papa Smurf), this is their equivilant to God, a depiction that is quite accurate as stupid species believe in it and it does nothing. All of these blue morons are exactly the same so it doesn't matter what their names were and who plays them. Controversy One issue surrounding this movie is the fact that the lead character, a human falls in love with one of the bald blue alien cats. Throughout the film, none of the characters, nor the fans of the movie (Avatards) seem to have a problem with the fact that they are two different species. Although if this was on Earth and the Na'vi was an animal kept as a pet, like a dog, everyone would be turning their pants brown and getting really angry yelling "NO!" because it's so wrong it doesn't deserve anything more than that.